The colours of love

A Nobody

"Vadina!  Welcome home!" Anna told, as I walked out of the bus stand. I stood there shocked because, both Anna and Maan were beaming at me.
Anna came and hugged me, while Maan took my luggage.
As I freed myself, Maan hugged me, "Happy to see you as my Vadina, Poker."

After, Mrs.Ishwari had given me a dead line, I went home, explained Itcha everything. I told my daughter, that I am going to get her father back and I would come back with him on her birthday. I asked her not to trouble her pinni till then. She promised me she will be a good girl and she will listen to her pinni.Bringing, her with me would be dangerous thing. What if she sees Dev?  So, here I am, alone in a place which could be the place where I live for the rest of my life.
"Poker!" I heard Maan shout.
"Sorry! I zoned out."
"And here I thought you  were checking me out."
"Stop flirting with vadina, Maan," Anna said.
Vadina?  I find it very heard to believe that these people have easily accepted me as their brother's wife-to-be. Aren't rich people supposed to be materialistic and money minded.  There must be some hidden strategy.  That is it.  Call me paranoid, but life was never this easy to me.
"Stop thinking so much Vadina," Anna  said squeezing my hand.
I smiled.
Maan put the luggage in the car, which happens to be BMW five series Sedan . He then opened the door for me to sit, which is the first in my life. Not even Dev, he would have done it if we had a car. So I cannot really blame him.

Anna and I sat in the back seat as Maan sat in the front along with the driver.
"Okay Vadina, if you are going to walk in to this family, then you should know about them, right? I am going to brief you about them." She started like a teacher. She opened a album. She then showed me a black and white photo of two men and two women in their thirties.
"This photo was taken, during Anamika Attaya's naming ceremony. This is Ram Vallabhaneni, my grandfather, next to him is Laxman Vallabhaneni, his brother. These are their wives, Janaki and Sunaina Vallabhaneni." She said pointing to the photo.
"Sadly, this was the last photo they have taken together, after that Laxman taataya and Sunaina nannama died in an accident, from then on Anoop chinana and Anamika Attaya were bought up by taataya and nannama." Maan added.
I nodded trying to retain everything.
She then showed a wedding photo, having a younger version, Mrs.Ishwari as the bride.
"This is pedanana, Achyut and  Ishwari Maa. Every one at home, calls her Maa.  She was the one who bought all of us up. She loved us just like our own mother."
Anna then pointed at another photo, " This is amma and nana, Aneesh and Nyonika." Similarly she pointed out her chinana, Anoop and pinni, Poorna.
She then told about her Attaya and Mavaya, Anamika and Nivas Vaitla and their daughter Anika, whose marriage I had to organise.
"Oh! That reminds me, you need all the three mother's permission, to pass off as my brother’s wife," Anna added.
"Of course! He is like Ram! The apple of the three mother's eyes," Maan butted in.
"Don't act like you are not important, my Mom loves you more than me."
"Oh no! I am important alright. I am important because Annaya thinks I am important."
Anna scoffed and I smiled.
"Anyways, Dev and Maan are own brother's, Anuhya(Anya) and me are own sisters, while Adhaav(Amay) and Ahaan(Sam) are brother's. 
Too much information! But I tried processing it because even if had not seen them, I had created a picture of them in my mind, because Dev always talked of his family.

I then asked about Mr.Anoop's health. Anna giggled and told, "It's secret! Don't tell it to anyone! It was all just an act to stop the engagement."
My mouth was wide open.
"What nonsense! Every one at home knows about it except Annaya."
God! This family!

Mrs.Ishwari had placed me at home, because that way I would be close to Dev. I met Anika and her fiance Shiv. They were cool. After talking about few details and pouring my ideas, I noticed that  They were so in love, Shiv was okay with anything until Anika was okay and Anika was animatedly talking of her dream wedding. Boy! If she wasn't a ball of energy.

I was assigned a staff who would work for me and I had selected few from my own company. So I took time distributing work to everyone and trying to calculate budget. You see,these people may be rich buy money is money isn't it?

It was a tiring day, and topping it is had not seen Dev. I wanted to see him, talk to him, may be remind him of our past. But then, he had some meeting in Vizag. After dinner, I went into my room, changed into my pj's and then tried sleeping.

"You are a piece of  scum!! You spoilt my life! You made it dirty and pathetic. My life is destroyed because of you. "
Whip!
"Aaahh!"
Whip
"Shut up you filthy creature! Just don't make any noise you disgust me!"
Whip
"Please! Please! Stop it. It hurts! Please."
Whip
"Good you deserve it. You deserve every bad thing happening to you."
I laid there shouting begging for mercy, but the pain would not stop.
"Now repeat after me. I am a waste of space."
I could not! I had no energy.
Whip.
"Say it"
Whip
"I...i a..m a was...te of spa...ce"
"I am a scum."
Whip
"I amm.. sc...Ummm."
"I am a nobody."
"I amm nooo..body."
Whip
"Repeat."
So I do. I repeat that I am a nobody and I am whipped every single time, until I pass out.
But one thing I never forgotten after that day, is I am a nobody.

I got up sweating! It's dark! Why is it dark? Is he here? No, he can't be. No! No! No! I was scared! I was shivering. I hugged my self and moved to the corner of the bed. I hoped he will not find me. 'I am a nobody! I am a nobody' I kept chanting. Atleast he will lessen my punishment. Punishment for running away. They are coming back! My memories are coming back.  No I don't want to remember this. Please go away! Please! it hurts.

I hear a laugh on other side of the door. I guess it was Maan.
"Annaya! Please tell me you are joking!"
"Of course I am not." Dev! My safe heaven.
I walked to the door and sat down.
"Puh...lease! I cannot believe it!"
"Why is it so hard to believe that two girls fought over me?"
I could totally imagine him scoffing. I smiled remembering, how cute he looks when he does that. His eyebrows scrunched, his nose raised! His lips curled up. God I miss him.  I started moving my hands over the door hoping it was him I was touching.
Maan laughed again.
"It would be so much fun to see Tridha complain about her broken nail."
"Shut up! I am already irritated by the she reacted! I am mean..."
"Okay! Okay! I get it. Annaya I get it."
"Don't interrupt when I am talking."
That reminded me of our past.

"Sona! It's okay baby you are safe. I am here. I will take...."
"No! No! You will leave, of course you will leave! Why would you be with a nobody? I..."
"Shh! Don't interrupt when I am talking and no I am not going to leave, because you mean everything to me."
"I mean everything to you?"
"You mean everything to me. My mom would get very furious for cussing but you are my fucking world."
I smile. "I am not a nobody."
"No you are not!"
He kissed on my forehead and said, " sleep my Sona! I will be here when you wake up."

And I slept, content that I was not a nobody.

-------
Vadina- brother's wife
Attaya-father's sister
Taataya- grandfather (daada)
Nannama -grand mother( daadi)
Chinana - father's brother ( chacha)
Pinni- father's brother's wife ( chachi) or mother's sister( maasi)
Pedanana- father's elder brother.